Otherwise, there wasn't much to glean from Mettenberger's ballyhooed opening performance as the Tigers' starting quarterback.

LSU used the same game plan to dominate North Texas on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium as it has so many other opponents in the Les Miles era. Their powerful rushing attack and stingy, opportunistic defense were the mainstays in the easy 41-14 victory. The Zach Attack it most definitely was not.

As debuts go, Mettenberger's fell somewhere between uninspiring and workmanlike. If I were to give it a grade, I'd call it incomplete.

His final numbers weren't all that bad. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once and sacked twice. He had two completions of more than 21 yards.

All in all, it was far from a bad effort. But it was also well short of the outsized expectations that accompanied the 6-foot-5 rifle-armed prodigy this offseason.

Remember, this is a guy teammates have compared to Tom Brady, a player NFL scouts have called a future first-round draft pick. On Saturday night, Mettenberger looked a lot more like Tom Hodson than Tom Brady.

In his defense, there was a good reason for the so-so effort. LSU coaches wisely appeared to put the governor switch on Mettenberger after he was knocked from the game by a vicious blindside hit in the first quarter.

The knockout shot by Hilbert Jackson forced Mettenberger to the sideline for a series. While he regained his senses, trainers hid his helmet and put him through a battery of medical tests. A stubborn and clearly anxious Mettenberger eventually won them over and returned to action a series later, going 4-for-4 in the ensuing drive and leading the Tigers to a field goal. That kind of toughness will go far for him with teammates and justify his selection as a team captain.

"I liked Mettenberger," Miles said. "He took a punch in the mouth and got up. You have to learn to get the ball out and recognize the defense. All in all, I liked him. I liked his composure."

There were flashes of the talent everyone in Baton Rouge has raved about since Mettenberger arrived on campus last year. A beautiful 19-yard touch pass over Jarvis Landry's outside shoulder for a completion. A 21-yard laser to Odell Beckham Jr. a series later. And the highlight: A seeing-eye dart to Kadron Boone for Mettenberger's first touchdown pass as an LSU starter.

But Mettenberger rarely was allowed to air out his powerful right arm. More often than not, he was relegated to intermediate throws and a healthy selection of screens.

Predictably, for a guy who had never started a major college game, there was also rust aplenty. A 17-yard intentional grounding penalty under duress in the first quarter. A red-zone interception in the second quarter. A near delay of game after he lost count of the play clock in the third quarter.

Each flash of optimism was tempered by a head-scratching moment of reality. Mettenberger might indeed be the most talented quarterback LSU has seen since JaMarcus Russell, but it's going to take time for him to get there. He needs plays and games to find his bearings. He's not the Golden Arm from Tigerland just yet.

The interception, Miles said, was a case of Mettenberger trying to do much too soon. He also blamed Mettenberger for failing to recognize the corner-fire blitz by Jackson on the sack. But otherwise he liked what he saw.

"I think he wanted to make a couple of passes in this game to start it right," Miles said. "Starting it right is just managing the game and doing what we ask him to do."

He added, "I think our quarterback really threw it well. Only one ball was really poorly thrown Otherwise, I thought he threw it well."

Bigger, more important tests await Mettenberger. Next week's home game against Washington will prove more difficult. His first SEC road test, a Sept. 22 visit to Auburn, is just around the corner.

We'll learn more about Mettenberger then. His debut answered questions about his toughness and arm strength but little else.

Afterward, Miles' summary of the Tigers' overall performance would aptly describe Mettenberger's night: "Imperfect, with a reason to smile."